Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-08-09
DAILY HERALD.
The sea..n,. Honey supply.

The Seasom,s Honey supply.
The arrivals of new crop California
honey have been 80 far light, and if
this can be taken as indicative of the
yield, the quantity to be marketed
during the season of 1SS7-'88 will be
less than during the last three years.
The crop of 1885 was also light, hardly
T5e tons, but there was a liberal
supply carried over from the un-
usually heavy crop of the pre-
vious season, the yield of 1884
aggregating 4,500 tons. The quantity
produced in 1886 approximated $500
tons, but there is little of the 1886
honey remaining in the State, prob
ably less than 5000 cases or $50 tons.
Some place stocks OF old at not to ex-
ceed half this quantity. Heavy ship
ments and tolerably free local con-
by low prices and fine quality. Much of
the 1886 crop was as choice honey as
was ever produced. Judging from
arrivals to date and from letters re-
Gently forwarded by apiarists and 9TH
ers in different honey producing dis
tricts, the crop of 1887 will be lacking
in quality as we'll as in quantity, COM
pared with 1886, and some former
years. The season was unfavorable
for wild flowers, especially for the
white sage blossom, from which the
finest honey is produced. A dealer in
San Diego county, one of the promi-
nent bee districts of Southern Califor-
mia, writes that there is no water
II, a. b,,1ox, l., bic Saot;op tb;o oaocop
and advices of the same tenor come
from bee-men and dealers in Los
Angeles, San Bernardino and
Ventura counties, and other
localities. An apiarist in Ventura
county, with 400 stands of bees, states
that he will have no honey this year.
Some persons preeminently identified
with the trade doubt whether fifty
tons of extra white new honey could
be secured in the State. 1t is
also claimed and is corroborated
by samples exhibited, that this
seasons honey is much more prone to
granulate than usual. This may not,
however, prove to be the case with
later receipts. Although the crop
gives evidence of being light, and will
probably be somewhat similar in
quantity to the yield of 1885. it is not
likely that prices will rule very
high or as firm as many an
ticipated in consequence Of
decreased production. This is especi-
ly apt to be the case owing to the
honey running mainly to amber and
the dark grades. This commodity
does not figure to any noteworthy ex-
tent as a necessity, and the common
qualities cannot enter largely into con-
sumption without competing directly
with sugar and syrup, the cheapness
of which not admitting of ordinary
honey selling for much higher figures
than those lately ruling. Regarded
as luxury, comparatively fancy
prices for honey are possible, but for
this purpose the quality must be the
best, and the demand for this,
whether the supply be small or large,
is at all times quite limited.
With the small supply which
there promises to be this
season Of strictly white honey, free
from granulation, it will not b sur
prising to see such stock commanding
ucttcI PItCCS tllfau hdNC DCCh OuiiOho
for several years; but. on amber and
dark colored honey it is doubtful if
there will be any material inn
provement in values for the reasons
mentioned. Another obstacle to
high prices is that We are
la gely dependent on foreign consum-
,ers for market, and unless values
here are tolerably low, freight charges
and other expenses added do not usu-
ally admit of expectation. Even
when low prices gre ruling and freight
rates are easy it is frequently impos-
sible to accommodate distant buyers at
the utmost figures they are justified in
paying Receipt of honey since June
list aggregate 1900 cases and over one
half of this is known to be OLD honey.
Most Of the new honey 80 far received
has been from Santa Barbara county,
the crop there being relatively better
than in most other localities, but the
quality is medium. During June and
July, 1886, receipts were 4,745 cases
and for corresponding time in 1885,
1887 cases.-lGrocer and Country
Marchant